This beer is GREAT for the style. Unfortunately, I was not really in the mood for an English Pale Ale. Poured beautifully with a nice thick off white head. Amber color with nice carbonation. Aroma was very malty. Taste was all malt, no hops and hardly any oak. Mouth feel was very nice, soft and velvety. I should have rated it higher, but it just needed a bit of a hop kick somewhere or a little more oak to make it special.

Tap @ the South Bend 2011 Brewfest: Medium amber hue with a lasting frothy head. The aroma has notes of french oak, crystal and biscuity pale malts, caramel apple, butterscotch, vanilla and some clove. The taste is sort of muddled, oaky, grainy and slightly citric but nothing seems to stand out nor wants to take the lead. Additionally there is a corny and veggie tone that is a bit off-putting. The mouth feel is smooth, chewy, and creamy... better than many "oaked" beers and the best part of this brew. Overall it is a "meh" brew that left me wanting so much more.

12 oz. bottle from SoHo Organic Market in Elizabeth City, NC. Pours dark orange with a frothy off-white head. Aroma of tangerines and sweet caramel with the citrus pushing its way through a bit more than the caramel. The flavor is drinkable enough but the hops are muted. If there is any flavor from the oak it is hard to tell. Mostly this is just faint citrus and some sweetness to balance things. That being said there is certainly nothing offensive or off-putting about this beer. Pretty good overall.

Gift bottle from friend. No idea about origins. (Probably better that way.)
Pours an even light tan head with various bubble sizes that all quickly dissipate. Head refreshes easily with a swirl - dissipates just as easily. Clean room temp glass. Beer served at 38/40 degrees F. Clear amber and mahogany mix in the color. Caramel and steel on the nose. Not overly appealing. Only get a slight note of wood. Soft mouthfeel gives way to a figgy malty flavor that finishes ingloriously with a touch of tea. Better than most shelf beer at the market, but not much.

The aroma is sweet, caramel, candy. The appearance is deep amber, cream colored head. The flavor is oak, caramel, sweet. The finish is oak, light pine. Medium in body. The oak struggles to come through on this beer. Not bad, not great.

Boston.
Amber sort of brown pour with a mild nse of wood and caramel malt.
Flavors of spice, mild wood, some hop and caramel. It had a bit of a grainy feel to it. Not bad, but when I saw the name, I’d hoped for more.

Draft sample at MWBF, Plainfield. Didn’t say what the base style was, I had guessed an English Pale Ale or a bitter. A little foam after being poured from a bottle. Has a kind of pumpkin beer spiciness, maybe from English hops. Maybe also from a higher carbonation than for English beer. Malty, with the oak not playing up that much. Finishes with some lighter Scotch Ale maltiness. I like it quite a bit. I even went with this over the Maple Pecan Porter just because it seemed to be the more "normal" Sam beer.

Draft at Plainfield MWBF. Pours a slightly murky ambery color with some offwhite head. Nose is kind of bland. Some faint grassy hops and vanilla notes. Some caramel as well. Not particularly characterful. On taste, much of the same. a very bland beer that happens to have a bit of oak character. Not a fan, I voted for the Maple Pecan Porter...

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